Owyhee Dam | |
---|---|
Location | Malheur County, Oregon |
Coordinates | 43°38′31″N 117°14′33″W / 43.64194°N 117.24250°W |
Construction began | 1928 |
Opening date | 1932 |
Construction cost | $6 million |
Operator(s) | Owyhee Irrigation District (Operator) |
Dam and spillways | |
Impounds | Owyhee River |
Height | 417 feet (127 m) |
Length | 833 feet (254 m) |
Width (crest) | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
Width (base) | 265 feet (81 m) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Owyhee Reservoir |
Total capacity | 1,183,300 acre-feet (1.4596×109 m3) |
Owyhee Dam (National ID # OR00582) is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon near Adrian, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1932 during the Great Depression, the dam generates electricity and provides irrigation water for several irrigation districts in Oregon and neighboring Idaho. At the time of completion, it was the tallest dam of its type in the world (it was surpassed about two years later). The dam is part of the Owyhee Dam Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The dam impounds the river to create the Owyhee Reservoir, with storage capacity of nearly 1,200,000 acre-feet (1.5 km3) of water. The more than 400-foot (120 m) tall concrete-arch gravity dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and operated by the Owyhee Irrigation District. Haystack Rock Road is carried over the 833-foot (254 m) long crest of the dam.